TWD: Tall and Creamy Cheesecake

Anne of AnneStrawberry picked this weeks Baking with Dorie recipe - Tall and Creamy Cheesecake on pages 235-237 of Dorie Greenspan's cookbook. You can also get the recipe on Anne's blog.

First - let me start by saying I am totally sick of sweets by this time of year. I've given away the last of the candy that anyone wanted and dumped the rest. I don't even want to look at another Christmas cookie. Sooo, I was teetering back and forth all weekend, should I make this week's TWD or not? Then we had a horrible storm Friday night and lost our power all day Saturday - I was sure I was going to skip this week. But today I just decided I wanted to make it - so it's kind of late and I haven't tasted it yet. I think I will keep it until New Year's Day. If I can remember my camera - (I forgot it at all the wrong times this holiday season!!) I will take a picture.

My other problem was that I thought I had all the stuff in the frig to make this...turns out I only had 2 packages of cream cheese, so I halved the recipe. We'll see how that turns out. I used the 8" springform pan to see if I could get some height out of it. I also layered it vanilla, chocolate, vanilla - and then made a raspberry coulis for some color! It went together very nice and I am anxious to taste it. I'll let you know later!

Here's my raspberry coulis cooking up...















And the final product -

TWD: Real Butterscotch Pudding

This weeks edition of TWD takes us to pudding land...Mmmm-mmm pudddd-innggg!
Thank you to Donna of Spatulas, Corkscrews & Suitcases for the pick this week. Get the full recipe there if you don't already have Dorie's book.

This is really tasty. I didn't use the whiskey and didn't miss it. As a chocolate pudding addict, I have to admit this was pretty good. As with all of Dorie's recipes, it seems like she always does things the hard way. I don't understand mixing the cornstarch and salt in the food processor, granted it was going to get used anyway later, but I just have to think there was a way to pass all the food processor steps and come up with a very good pudding. But that's just the Lazy Baker coming out in me again!!

Gotta go...a cup of puddin is calling my name!!

TWD: Grandma's All-Occasion Sugar Cookies

My day looked like this outside...so I decided to shape my cookies to look like these - -














Now I have to think that the snowmen I would make outside would have to look much better than this poor guy, but I don't think it would have tasted as good as this one did! Ulrike of Küchenlatein chose this weeks selection. And I have to say that it couldn't have come at a better time. I was planning on decorating cookies with my 4 year old granddaughter and these will be great to work with! You can find the recipe on her blog or in Dorie's cookbook. It's a very easy cookie to make and tastes just right! Thanks Ulrike!

TWD: Linzer Sables

I believe I now should be called "The Lazy Baker"! I think they turned out really nice and taste yummy, but I guess I'm just not into that much work! I know, I know...how lazy can I get? I even think sugar cookies are too much work! I'd never make it as a pastry chef - that much I know!






I start out reading the recipe and thinking...ah that doesn't sound too difficult at all! And then I see the ground nuts and the rolling and rolling....



I'm taking some over to my in-laws tomorrow, who just moved to town this last weekend, so I'll let them taste test them for me. I did like the nuttiness the ground almonds gave them and I even liked the ones without the raspberry jam! They do wonders with a nice cup of java! So thank you noskos of Living the Life for picking this week's recipe. And even though I complain a lot, I do really like them. You can find the recipe on her blog and also in Dorie's book!

TWD: Twofer Pie

Thanksgiving Twofer Pie, chosen by Vibi of La casserole carree
for this weeks episode of Tuesdays with Dorie. I thought this pie sounded good in premise, but I do like my pumpkin pie and I do like my pecan pie and usually separately - not in the same pie. This turned out pretty good though...not as sweet as a pecan pie, but like a pumpkin pie with a surprise! I would not partially pre-bake my pie shell again though, as it was pretty much toast by the time the pie was done. All in all, people seemed to like this pumpkin/pecan pie combination.

TWD: Arborio Rice Pudding, White, Black (Or Both)

For this week's Tuesdays With Dorie Isabelle of Les gourmandises d’Isa picked, Arborio Rice Pudding, White, Black (Or Both) from the cookbook "Baking: From My Home to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan or you can go to Isabelle's blog to find the recipe for it.






This was the start of something good....

I really liked this recipe...it was a fairly easy recipe once Dorie wrote to let us all know that the recipe printed in the cookbook had a little snag...instead of cooking it for 30 minutes, it was supposed to be 55! Luckily, I had cooked mine a little longer without seeing that. I tried it with raisins soaked in dark rum for half and chocolate for the other. I was really hesitant on the chocolate...I don't know why because it is pure deliciousness! I guess I always thought of rice pudding one way and why mess with something that already tasted so good...even if it was to add chocolate to it. I guess I will have to learn from this and try to step outside of my comfort zone more often. Either way the pudding was very creamy and rich. Soooo good! Thanks, Isabelle for this week's pick!

Another giveaway at My Wooden Spoon!

Hurry and go to

My Wooden Spoon
and sign up for her wonderful giveaways! You won't want to miss this one!

Giveaways!

Go to www.mywoodenspoon.com and get in on her giveaway! All you have to do is -

Simply vote for My Wooden Spoon’s Shrimp Stroganoff Casserole at the Velveeta Casserole Challenge and you’re entered!! Just leave her a comment to tell her you voted.

Good Luck!

Been busy this week!

I won't be baking with the "Tuesdays With Dorie" group this week. I had something important to deal with this week...our little black doggie, Jack, was sick all week long. We've made numerous trips to the Vet and he's been prodded, poked, and X-rayed more than he'll ever want to be again! He's doing better today, but he's still not quite back to the old Jack yet. Our other dog, Kelby is wondering what's going on. He usually gets to go, but he's had to stay behind on all the trips to see the doc. I don't know if Jack filled him in when he got back or not, but the last trip he didn't seem to mind getting left at home!

They still don't really know what Jack's problem is and if he continues to improve, I guess we may never know. But I don't care, as long as he gets better!

TWD: Rugelach

This is my first try at baking with the "Tuesdays with Dorie" baking group! Ta-daaaah!
The recipe looked pretty difficult, but turned out pretty well. My husband liked them a lot. We both tasted them warm from the oven and the dough was flaky and delish! The combination of raspberry jam, cinnamon sugar, nuts, raisins, & chocolate for the filling was good...maybe a little much, but we liked it.
A lot of work for a few cookies. I don't
usually spend so much time for cookies, but these are kind of special. Both my husband and I decided we might like either no chocolate or less chocolate with this recipe. Might have to try some with just fruit and nuts next time.
This recipe was chosen by Grace of Piggy’s Cooking Journal so check out her blog for this recipe! Thank you Grace...I've always wanted to taste these homemade! They taste nothing like the stuff you buy at the store!

My cookbook arrived!

I just browsed my new copy of the Tuesdays with Dorie cookbook and I'm so excited to get started! But maybe not just today yet...we (my dh and I) just returned last night from helping my son move into his first home all the way up in Illinois! He's going to start school in the spring and wanted to get all settled in before he got busy. We helped him out by giving him some furniture and other things that people just getting out on their own never think about having since there is always someone else around that already has it. Like tools and certain cooking utensils and lamps and hand soap and paper towels and all that stuff that is usually just there when you live with someone else! Brings back fond memories of the first place I had on my own though...so I know he'll be fine and even though I'll worry about how he's doing, I know that I had hardly anything and I managed somehow.

Our son has an African Grey Parrot named Buddha that we "baby-sat" for him for about a year and a half and we grew very fond of Buddha. He is such a nut...talks like crazy and even though we were not what you would call "bird people", we did fall in love with Buddha! As I figure out how to post things on my blog, I'll add some videos of Buddha yakking away...it's hilarious! So now this morning our home is just a little bit quieter without the happy blabbering of our fine feathered friend. Yes, we miss our Buddha...oh and you too, Randy!! Ha!

This is my beginning. I read all of your blogs and so I decided to start one of my own. We'll see how it goes...